Immune Engineering

The immune system presents both complex hurdles and profound opportunities for biomedical engineers. It must be dealt with when designing any new biomedical device, biomaterial, or technology intended to be used within the human body, and yet at the same time it is also a tremendous resource to engage and exploit in developing new treatments for diseases ranging from cancer to infectious diseases to tissue regeneration.

Duke BME is actively engaged in research aimed at understanding, controlling, and exploiting the immune system to treat a range of diseases and conditions.

Work includes the design of novel vaccines and technologies for treating wounds, chronic inflammation, cancer, and for tissue engineering. This research is facilitated by a network of collaborators spanning Duke University Medical Center clinical departments and the Duke University School of Medicine's Department of Immunology.

Research Interests: Collier's research interests relate to the design of biomaterials for a range of biomedical applications, with a focus on understanding and controlling adaptive immune responses. Most materials investigated are created from molecular assemblies- proteins, peptides or bioconjugates that self-...